vendredi, janvier 20, 2012

The Goal Post

1. Get a French driver's license. - Um, no. I still could not find the money or the willpower to fork out over a thousand bucks to go through 20 hours of obligatory driving classes (!) and the tests. This is the year, though! Really. No, really. Seriously, finally Groupon and Living Social Deals are offering some really discounted packages, and the next one that pops up near my neighborhood, I am jumping on.

2. Stay with the recent motivation to do an exercise DVD twice on the weekend. - Um, ha? Twice on the weekend is no more feasible than twice during the week for me. I even signed up for yoga classes and went - twice. Ugh. But I will keep on trying.

3. Spruce up the apartment. - Ha! Book unit thingy not yet painted (but on the list of things to do in the coming week). Grey curtains for the bedroom and replacement curtain rod, ha! Recover sad Ikea chairs - um, not yet? But I am coveting the purple covers and as soon as I can justify the expense, I'm doing it! (Must add cat phereomone spray to list of items to order from the US. If Oscar even thinks about scratching the new covers once I get them, HE's being sent to the US!) However, people! We bought a good deal (on Groupon) on handyman labor, so we are going to schedule the remodeling of the kitchen and bathroom for February or March. I am very excited about this!

4. Keep some goddamn plants alive in the window boxes. - YES!! My first realised goal!! Plants still alive and thriving. Well, most of them. Let's just ignore the window box in the bedroom, shall we?

5. Continue with the positive internal monologue. - YES!! My daily mantra is pretty much fully integrated, and it has helped tremendously with absolutely everything.

6. Get my varicose veins fixed. - YES!!! Those fuckers are GONE. It cost me some dough, but I can at least break out the skirts without feeling self-concious. About my legs, that is.

7. Do one hard thing every day. - Well, I called the nurses, does that count? No, really, I do okay with this, but I can't in all honesty say I do this every day. But I have been better about consciously choosing to do one thing I am dreading and it helps a lot. Just yesterday I did one thing I was trying to avoid, and it felt so much better to just do it than it would have felt to avoid it. This is one of those lessons I have to constantly re-learn.

8. Do one kind thing every day. - Once again, I can't say I do this every day, but I have been better about choosing kindness. Just as a recent example, I helped an elderly lady who fell in the street; walked her home and bandaged her up, and called to check on her days and weeks after. She gave me a little trinket as a thank you that is sitting on my desk. This goal is definitely a keeper.

9. Finish fixing my acting resumé, send it in to the new casting director, get her to pick the best head shots and SEND THEM OUT. - No. Does it count that I joined an acting troupe, an amateur school, and am now the replacement instructor in a third class? No? Okay, I can see why not. But I'm not sure I care about this one this year.

10. Go on at least one casting call. God. - Ditto.

11. This is really shitty of me, but I'm keeping this one to myself for a while. - Some progress on this one, but still keeping it to myself. Still shitty of me!

I didn't do too badly, overall. Five out of eleven? Eh, I'm not sweating it. January is all about starting over, anyway.

So in addition to the goals I am keeping from last year, this year's list looks like this :

7. Apply for French citizenship. - This calls for tons of official papers, (Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! You are forewarned!) ridiculous translation fees and a two-year wait to see if you are approved, but I would be really proud to be a dual citizen.

8. Keep plants alive. - Well, more plants.

9. Go home for a visit. - So far I can't afford the tickets, but I will make this happen in 2012.

10. Take a ride in a hot air balloon. - I really regret not doing this in Turkey, where it was much cheaper, but who knows where I will go in 2012? This one is probably more of a lifetime goal. I won't mind if I don't get to this before the year is up.

11. See a play at the Comédie Française. - I just found out they were on strike (no comment) and that the theatre is undergoing a renovation, so this might not be the best year to do this. Let's just call it a lifetime goal.

12. See an opera at the Palais Garnier. - A friend and I tried to get tickets for a performance in February, but the only tickets were 140€. No fucking way am I paying that to see an opera, Palais Garnier or no. Lifetime goal?